The War Court and Lap Pillow, Austria's Mandate of Heaven

Chapter 1597 Give him a slap and say it's okay.

The Austrian Empire's sudden request for peace initially delighted Rama IV, as the crisis was finally over.

But he was also extremely angry. Rama IV couldn't figure out Austria's intentions, and he was even less sure if this was a trap.

They feigned negotiations, intending to lull their opponents into a false sense of security before launching a surprise attack. After all, the Zhenla army held a decisive advantage at this point and seemed to have no reason to negotiate with the Kingdom of Siam; in their own shoes, they would certainly not give the other side any chance.

Although General Porter promised that British reinforcements would arrive, the Indian side remained silent for a long time.

On the other hand, Siam was engulfed in war, and Rama IV still did not know how many troops the Khmer army had sent. He was completely blind and trapped in a cage.

Previously, some ministers suggested sending troops to attack the Bay of Kampong Som to break the deadlock, but the Siamese navy encountered fierce resistance from the Zhenla fleet. In general, both sides suffered losses. However, Rama IV did not dare to commit the entire fleet, as he still needed to rely on the navy as his last resort.

The peace proposal put forward by the Zhenla side made him extremely unhappy.

"Your Majesty King Rama IV,

At this critical juncture, the Austrian Imperial Government, acting responsibly for regional peace and the people of both countries, solemnly proposes to you:
First, both sides should immediately cease all military operations.

Secondly, the Zhenla army will withdraw from your country in an orderly manner, and no organization or individual in Siam may pursue or obstruct it.

Third, the Kingdom of Siam must promise never to pursue or claim any loss related to this war, including but not limited to property damage, casualties, and all matters concerning the population.

"

On the surface, it was a peace agreement, but in Rama IV’s view, it was more like a disclaimer.

Not only did they shirk all responsibility for the war, but they also refused to allow the Kingdom of Siam to hold them accountable.

Furthermore, no mention was made of the trade agreement between the two countries regarding rubber monopoly.
"You started this war without warning, and you think it'll all end so easily?"

The Austrian envoy was a Khmer, who showed no fear in the face of Rama IV's questioning and instead asked in return.

"So, do you still want to continue fighting?"

"you!."

These words left Rama IV speechless. He wished he could tear the person in front of him to pieces immediately, but with the British envoy present, Rama IV had no choice but to reconsider his wording.

"You launched a war without declaring war."

"It was your country that violated the trade agreement first; we were just protecting our own interests."

"You've ravaged my land for so long, don't you want to offer any compensation?"

King Rama IV emphasized his words.

"No."

The other party's answer was very straightforward.

"That won't do! Your negotiations lack sincerity! And you even sent someone like you!"

King Rama IV was interrupted before he could finish speaking. "I'm sorry, this is not a negotiation. I'm just responsible for delivering the agreement to you."

This time, Rama IV's blood vessels almost burst. He never expected that the other party would underestimate him so much.

On the other hand, Ambrose, Deckwell, and Bishop Nerman were also anxiously awaiting the outcome; in fact, the scale of the war had already exceeded their control.

The news had not yet reached Vienna, but they were not acting entirely on their own initiative. Franz knew that he couldn't do everything personally due to the distance, but he left some implementation agreements in the Chenla region.

Ambrosius had also discussed this possibility with Franz. Franz's demand was that the rubber plantations in the Siam region be destroyed at the very least, but they could not be annexed, much less go to war with Britain.

Therefore, Ambrose chose to launch a war immediately. By this time, the objective had already been achieved, but many people in Cambodia did not want to stop the war. The plundering of wealth and people was not enough to satisfy their appetites. They wanted to weaken Siam as much as possible.

Clearly, the British were not prepared to allow the Austrians to dominate. The British minister and the British commander-in-chief in India wrote letters to Ambrose warning him that if the war continued, he would bear the consequences.

Although it was a hollow and ineffective warning, Ambrose dared not risk continuing the war.

He immediately convened a tripartite meeting, and the top leaders were unanimous in their opinion that no one wanted to continue the war. Wars between Cambodia and Siam, and wars with Vietnam, were trivial matters, but if it turned into a war between Austria and Britain, it would be very troublesome.

In fact, the British side was in a similar situation. The reason why the British troops stationed in India did not take action was because they were considering the possible consequences of war.

If it's a proxy war, that's fine, but if it escalates into a war between two major powers, then they really can't take responsibility.

Moreover, the performance of the Zhenla army in the previous war with the Kingdom of Siam far exceeded the British's expectations. If only a few thousand men were sent, they would not only be unable to defeat the enemy, but they might also be counterattacked by the enemy in Malacca.

The British would absolutely not dare to take such a risk.

At this point, the demands made by the Austrian Empire were clearly reasonable in the eyes of the British, so they would not interfere in the matter and instead urged Rama IV to accept the agreement as soon as possible.

King Rama IV looked at the agreement in his hands with despair. He was suddenly confused and wondered what he was doing.
Fortunately, Rama IV quickly came to his senses. By then, the rubber plantations had been destroyed, and the only remaining value of Siam to Britain was Malacca. Apart from the Malay Peninsula, the strategic value to the British was limited.

As for the other powers, they didn't even want to get involved and adopted a wait-and-see attitude. After all, Siam's importance was also limited, especially after losing rubber, an important resource.

Ultimately, King Rama IV signed the peace treaty in despair, but he knew very well that it was a ceasefire agreement, and he would take back everything he had lost sooner or later.
Vienna, Hofburg Palace.

Franz read the messages coming from Zhenla one after another, but by the time he saw the letters, the war was mostly over.

Ambrosius's approach was not problematic; Franz would most likely have done the same.

However, he wouldn't go that far. In this battle, the Zhenla army not only burned down all the rubber plantations in Siam, but also almost massacred and captured all the workers who planted and cultivated rubber.

In addition, nearly half of Siam’s farmland was destroyed. The abducted children and women numbered 280,000, a devastating blow to a country of just over five million people.

Other damages, such as destroyed cities and damaged roads, are countless.

However, since things have already gone too far, Franz needs to consider plans to further weaken Siam, and he will definitely take the opportunity to seize Siamese territory.

But the treaty has already been signed, so there is no need to change it now.

As for the trade agreement that would grant a rubber monopoly, Ambrose proposed that Siam be prohibited from growing rubber for 25 years. Franz quickly rejected this, since it was not Siam that wanted rubber, but Britain.

It's better to wait and see, and act when the time is right. There will be plenty of opportunities to deal with Siam anyway.